That poor dog.... 3 broken legs, a broken pelvis, heartworms, no vaccinations, etc. How could anyone let him suffer with all those medical issues? And his tail was wagging all the time. It just makes you hurt that people can be so callous...

With all those badly healed broken bones, he's going to have a hard time as he gets older. At least he's not getting eaten alive by fleas now and his nails are not growing into his feet. You're doing a kind thing to help this poor fella.

I WAS prepared to go up there w/2 cheeseburgers and a box of kleenex, but... my vet and I had a long conversation, I saw the x-rays, and there ARE options.My vet assured me that the dog is not in any pain right now, after observing him all day... he runs-hops, he plays, he has a great appetite, he potties like a normal dog, and he is very interested in his surroundings.No dog aggression what-so-ever, curious about all the cats without wanting to chase or bother them, very submissive and very tolerant of all the procedures he went through today. He didn't even have to be sedated for the x-rays, and that says a lot.The x-rays show that his pelvis was severed from his spine, and somehow got twisted... I will post all the medical stuff on Tuesday when I can get a copy... and all you vet techs will have plenty to read. Anyway - in her opinion this boy can have anywhere from 6 months to two years of a *good and painfree* life before he will experience debilitating pain... she said his knees will "give out"at that point and he will not be able to move much at all... and when that time comes I will have to do the kindest thing possible, and let him go.We are not treating him for the heartworms, but he will be on a preventative so at least he won't get worse.Neutering is too risky, and any surgeries to correct his many problems would probably be very traumatic for him, and change very little if anything at all.

So, yeah... he's a wreck at barely two years old, and he probably won't make it past his 4th birthday. Somehow I feel that this boy deserves a little bit of happiness to make up for all the horrible things that have been done to him, and as long as he *maintains* and isn't in pain - who am I to take that away???We can spare a sunny spot in the yard and a few bullysticks, and he can have his very own crate and bed... probably for the first time ever.My vet said she has never seen a dog who enjoyed human attention as much as this dog did today... despite being in a strange place, surrounded by strange people, and having to put up w/endless procedures - some of them unpleasant for sure.His tail never stopped wagging.

He got a bath, they clipped his nails and treated him for the flea infestation, he got vaccinated... and right now he's a happy camper in his crate, w/a bullystick longer than his tail... Beezus was the only one who had a melt-down when he walked-hopped through the door, but for safety reasons I will do crate/rotate anyway and it won't be an issue.

I know some eyebrows will be raised, and some of you probably won't agree w/me, but all I can say to that is - I'm paying it forward for Jessica and Mick.It wasn't a hard decision.

Yeah, the heartworms are pretty severe... they suspect that he's had them for quite some time.

Liz... my vet explained the whole thing to me, but all the info was pretty overwhelming.She said he did sustain the most severe injuries as a 7-8 months old puppy... something about the growth plates, and that's how she could tell...???She also said that the reason his pelvis and legs healed in such a weird position is that he must've been confined to a very small space afterwards, w/only basically room to sit... so he "healed up" in a sitting position because he had no room to stretch.I am going to post all the medical findings she made when I get a copy next week, and maybe our vet techs can help decipher it...?I don't even want to think about the pain he must've been in.

This boy has a damned BIG and forgiving heart, to still let a human being even touch him.

I'll say my peace, and then step away from the conversation...because I can't believe that this dog will be left to suffer. Sure, give him a few days of happiness, and then let him go peacefully.

I showed the pics to John, and he can't cope with looking at them at all...and John is NOT squeamish. But he does have a debilitating disease...one that causes him endless pain, though his is not a "painful" condition. Just not being able to stretch his legs out causes him pain and discomfort...not being able to stand up, or stretch out, causes him pain and discomfort.

So yeah, living with a human that can speak up about how horrible it is to live like this, I can't imagine letting a dog go through this any longer.

But I'll get off my soapbox now...and step away before everyone jumps on me for being mean and negative.

"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw

I'm sorry. I'm not buying it, and I'm not trying to be cruel here, I am speaking from the heart...

There is no way in hell that dog is not in pain every minute. Is he showing it? No, evidently not, and I believe you when you say that his tail is wagging and he loves attention and he moves around and does the best he can. That doesn't mean he's not in pain, it just means that it's all he knows and that he ignores it.

I was born with congenital birth defects, three toes on each foot were messed up. When I was 20 I had surgery on both feet to correct them. Six months later, my feet stopped hurting... like stopped hurting. For the first time. I didn't know that I was in pain for the first 20 years because I had never not been.

I'm sure he is enjoying the very first freedom he has ever had in his entire life. And the first love. And the first toys. And the first everything. And I bet he's HAPPY. But please, don't think that he's comfortable in that broken body, he just doesn't know any different, and he's a got a good temperament so he's not lamenting life. Animals are amazingly resiliant - humans stay in the hospital for a few days after a hysterectomy, we send our pets home same day and pain meds are "optional."

I trust you, you'll do the right thing for him and for you. But I needed to say this.

Last edited by mnp13 on July 28th, 2010, 9:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason:oh... overlapped with Erin's post. this took me over half an hour to write...

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.